I
have noticed that “healthy” is a very value-laden word. In a world where non-GMO,
organic, natural, clean, green, paleo, free-range, local, farm to table,
unprocessed, preservative-free, vegan, vegetarian…I can go on and on…have
become synonyms with “healthy,” we have missed the basics of good nutrition. Somehow,
these taglines have become associated with an allegedly superior way of
approaching food choices. Are some of them good for us? Definitely some of them
are! But let’s take a step back and take a look at the basics of good
nutrition.
Research
again and again supports the idea that people who eat more fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat dairy live longer with fewer chronic
diseases than those who eat less of those foods. That pretty much summarizes
the basics of good nutrition.
My
readers touched on many of these points. Eating a variety of foods…that means
choosing different fruits, vegetables, and whole grains throughout the week.
Choosing foods full of nutrients…full of vitamins and minerals—again, that
would be our fruits, vegetables and whole grains!
So
there are the basics, and then there is the extra credit of good nutrition. The
basics would be the guidelines listed above. The recommendations supported by
tons and tons of research. The extra credit, perhaps, would be some of those
taglines. (Only some of them.) With
food, as it is with schoolwork, the extra credit doesn’t go very far if the
basics are not in place.
I’d
like to make a suggestion. When you are at the supermarket choosing your
groceries, take a moment to think if the contents of your cart fit in the
basics category. Does all, or even most of the food in your cart meet the basics
guidelines? When I am at the supermarket and my cart has my favorite organic cookies,
vegan candy, and non-GMO potato chips, I’ve got to rethink what healthy means.
In
the comments section below, let me know which of the taglines you thing might
actually be good nutrition, and you reasons why.